Author's Note: Part 1/?
Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters. I am not looking to make a profit off of this.
The coffee shop was his safe haven. It had been since he had first discovered it hiding in a small corner of his neighbourhood months ago, and every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at precisely 3:30pm, without fail, Killian Jones found himself walking through the doors and out of his life for two hours (four hours on Saturdays). It had reached the point that the staff knew him on sight, and even would start making his drink as soon as he stepped off the bus across the street. When he was inside the cafe, it was as if the outside world didn't exist. All that existed was the simple latte in front of him and whatever book he happened to bring with him. Other regulars would nod their greetings at him, and he would nod back, then they would retreat into their own worlds. Outsiders would come in, cause a disruption in the quiet tranquility, and leave. Yet Killian never let anything deter him from his eight hours a week of bliss.
Exam season was the worst time of the year for disruptions, he had discovered in December. University students flooded the coffee shop, with their laptops and notebooks and piles of paper spread over two or three tables at once. Once or twice, some student even dared to have a loud, passionate conversation on his mobile phone in the middle of the coffee shop. He wondered where they all came from, how they had found his hidden gem. Probably by asking Siri, he decided bitterly. During exam season, he was forced to share a small table in the corner of the cafe with another regular, the sweet brunette with the chai latte who liked to read romance and adventure novels. There were no names between the regulars. Only nods of greeting and tappings on small laptops or flipping of pages. And the occasional politely quiet reactions to whatever they were doing.
Exam season also brought the seriously stressed students who seemed on edge about absolutely everything. That was why he had been dreading the spring exam period, after a nasty encounter in December with a student who had decided that Killian's table was okay to spread his papers over, considering Killian wasn't even using it aside from a place to put his mug down when he wasn't taking a sip.
Come the next exam season, Killian walked into the coffee shop at 3:30pm to see it crowded with students and laptops and papers. There were no free tables. He peered around the shop, seeing the chai latte brunette sitting at a small circular table with a book in hand. There was a chair opposite her, and she looked up just in time to catch his eye. She gave a minute nod and casually slid her mug closer to her edge of the table. He smiled appreciatively and stepped up when it was his turn, dropping change on the counter and picking up his latte. He then walked over to chai latte brunette's table, murmured a quiet thank you, and sat down. She was dressed more nicely today than usual, in a light blue blouse and a black skirt. He wondered if she might have a job interview. She had been filling out an application at her table the week before. He, on the other hand, was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, not concerned about making a good impression in his escape from the world. He set his mug on the table and pulled a paperback copy of Crime and Punishment out of his messenger bag, thumbing through it to find his place and leaning back in his chair to read.
He heard them before he saw them. A group of students walking into the coffee shop, loudly arguing amongst themselves. The arguing continued as they ordered their drinks. He chanced a glance around the room. There were no free tables for a group that large. Then a couple at a large square table next to him stood up and walked out, leaving their mugs. The group of students immediately jumped on it, having an equally loud argument over who was going to sit on the window ledge and who got the chairs. Another moment later, chai latte brunette and Killian were met with the rudest gesture possible in their quaint environment.
One of the students, identified by a loud girl with dark brown hair as Neal, picked up the two empty mugs and clapped them down on the table next to theirs. The table currently occupied by Killian and his fellow regular. His table mate looked up at the sound, displeasure written all over her face, but she said nothing, merely shooting the student an indignant look behind his back before returning to her book. Killian, on the other hand, wasn't about to let it go so easily.
"Hey, mate," he said slowly, setting his book down on the table, closed (he knew his place), and looking over at the guy pointedly. He didn't see Killian, but the girl with long, blonde hair Neal had his arm around possessively did, and she gently tapped the guy's shoulder and pointed at Killian. Neal turned to face Killian.
"What's the matter?" he asked, his arm still around the blonde's waist. Chai latte brunette glanced up warily, and Killian let out a breath.
"Do you mind? You put those mugs on our table, and the lady and I are trying to enjoy our afternoon. The counter's just over there," he said, keeping his voice level. Neal scoffed, taking a step towards him, and Killian tensed up. The blonde put her hand on Neal's chest.
"It's not your table," Neal spat out, clearly as annoyed as Killian felt, "it belongs to the establishment." Behind him, the dark haired girl smirked, and the guy she was draped over was nodding. Killian rolled his eyes.
"We're sitting here, mate. And those mugs are taking up space on the table. Usually people take empty mugs to the counter," he repeated, looking up at him.
"Why should we have to take care of that? You're not using the table, so shove off and mind your own business," Neal snapped back. Killian was about to reply when the blonde sighed, grabbing the two mugs and walking back with them to the counter. Neal shot him a death glare, and Killian merely arched an eyebrow, then turned back to face his table mate again. He picked up his book and found his spot, starting to read. As he read, he blocked out everything else happening around him. He didn't even notice when chai latte brunette quietly stood up and left, not before taking her mug to the counter, of course. He did notice when the group sitting beside him left, only because Neal decided to purposefully bump into Killian's chair as he walked past, giving him a daring look when Killian looked up indignantly. He decided not to say anything, though, not wanting to cause more of a scene than he had earlier. It was almost shameful, how much he had allowed the other guy to rattle him, make him forget his vows to make the coffee shop his safe haven. But now that the group was gone and most of the other students had decided to vacate the premises to prepare for whatever party they were allowing to disrupt their study schedule on this Saturday evening, he was finally able to fully relax. At 7:15pm, he stretched out, ready to wind down. He had switched from Crime and Punishment to discreetly checking his emails and doing some writing on his iPad an hour earlier, and as he sipped the last drops of his decaf coffee, the second drink he always bought on Saturdays, he noticed something.
The blonde girl from earlier was still sitting at the table next to him.
He blinked, then flashed a toothy grin at her when she looked up, having probably felt him looking at her.
"Can I help you?" she asked. Killian shrugged.
"Nothing, love. Just wanted to say thanks for earlier," he replied in a quiet voice, mindful of the older man who always came in and ordered a coffee in the evenings. Blondie shrugged.
"It was nothing," she said, standing up and packing her laptop away. Killian glanced first at the clock, then out the window.
"Taking the bus?" he asked, now curious. He also was wondering why she had stuck around when her friends had all left, but considering that he would probably never see her again, he decided not to ask that particular question. She nodded in response, now packing away her papers. Killian checked that he had everything, then gave a little wave to the baristas and a nod to the blonde before heading out the door. Moments later, she stepped outside, joining him at the bus stop, but when his bus came by, she didn't get on. Killian watched her disappear as he took his seat and the bus started to move, then put his headphones on and turned on his music. He had a long bus ride ahead of him.
The exam season ended and finally, Killian and the rest of the regulars at the coffee shop were left in peace to enjoy a nice and quiet atmosphere for the entire summer. Some switched their drinks to mark the summer months, such as Brunette chai latte, who became Brunette iced chai latte, although Killian stuck with a hot latte. Despite the warmer weather, tradition was tradition. He did, however, decide to cut back to two days a week, saving Friday afternoons to go swimming at a local pool. It was summer after all.
Something had changed, however. He noticed it two weeks into June. There was a new regular at the coffee shop, and it was someone he had never expected to see come back. Blondie. He didn't know when he started calling her that, but it made sense. Since there were no names among the regulars, he had taken to identifying them by their hair colours and the drink they ordered, and he had yet to determine what drink Blondie liked. She seemed to have just as much trouble, ordering something different every time he saw her - Saturdays, from 4:30 to 6pm. She didn't bring any of her friends, though.
One Saturday in July, the coffee shop was more crowded than usual, thanks to the frappuccino sale at the Starbucks around the corner. Since it was too busy, stragglers who didn't care for the brand name wandered the streets until they found the hole in the wall Killian had made his haven. He arrived promptly at 3:30 and picked up his latte, retreating to a small table in the corner of the cafe. As he sat down, he made eye contact with Brunette iced chai latte, and she rolled her eyes at him. He made a mental note to somehow get to know her, since they seemed to share many of the same interests and opinions, if the past few months had been any indication. She had seemed happier over the past few weeks, and sometimes when he wasn't at the coffee shop he found himself wondering what she did in her outside life. He liked to imagine she worked in an office, given the style of clothes she wore. Or maybe a library. She certainly seemed to have a diverse interest in books, from what he had seen. Sometimes he wondered if other regulars speculated about him as much as he did about them.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice the figure standing opposite him until she cleared her throat. Loudly. Killian looked up and instantly grew confused. There was Blondie. He frowned and checked his watch. She was early. Very early.
"I was wondering if you'd mind…" Blondie indicated the chair opposite him, "every other seat is taken."
Killian blinked, glancing around the room. She was right; there were no free places to sit, not even along the window ledges. Then he settled his gaze back on her as she tapped her foot, clearly waiting for a response. She was wearing shorts and a tank top today, appropriate for the weather. Her blonde hair was tied back into a high ponytail, and she was… frowning at him.
"Well?"
"Oh, uh… yeah. Go ahead, lass," he said quickly, watching her sit down rather gracefully. He glanced at her drink, and she caught him.
"Iced caramel latte. I think I might have found my regular drink," she said, now offering him a tiny grin. Killian nodded, picking up his book from the table and opening it. He barely got through the first paragraph before Blondie's voice cut across his thoughts again. "What did you get?"
"A latte, since I am a creature of habit. I must apologise, though. I'm rather fond of my reading time, so I'll unfortunately have to be rude and disappear into my book," he replied, more curtly than he had wanted. It seemed to satisfy Blondie, though, and she fished a small paperback book out of her bag, one that had a library barcode taped on the back. He wasn't sure why he was still watching her rather than reading, though, and quickly dragged his attention back to his own book.
The two read in silence for close to half an hour before Blondie let out a loud sigh and dropped her book on the table. Killian's eyes flickered up and over the top of his book, just for a second, but it was enough to apparently give the girl permission to talk.
"I thought that was going to be a good book, but it's super cliché," she said, sighing again. Killian nodded slowly, holding his book up higher, trying to send her a message. It didn't work. "What book are you reading?"
"David Copperfield. Dickens," he replied, lowering the book and looking directly into her bright green eyes. "Look, I don't want to be rude, but you and I aren't acquainted, and I like my quiet time in here. I'm afraid I'm not looking for a conversational partner."
Blondie's light grin turned into a frown and she nodded. "Fine. I was going to head out, anyway. See you around, I guess," she said, standing up and slipping the book back into her purse. Then she picked up her cup and walked out of the coffee shop, not sparing a backwards glance at Killian. Then again, he didn't expect her to. They weren't friends. He looked up and caught Brunette iced chai latte's eye. She gently shook her head, a small twinkle in her eye. He blinked. What had he missed?
He left the coffee shop an hour early, thrown off by the weird encounter.
Blondie iced caramel latte showed up the following Saturday, but ignored him. Killian was happy for it, glad to have his whole four hours of solitude to himself. The girl seemed to learn the unspoken rules of the coffee shop rather quickly, ordering her drink and sitting quietly, not disturbing anyone and being disturbed by no one in return. It wasn't until last week of August when the coffee shop was crowded again (thanks to the Starbucks around the corner) that Killian found himself face to face with her again.
When he arrived, he scanned the room, searching for an available chair. There was only one, at a table currently occupied by Brunette iced chai latte and Blondie iced caramel latte (he really needed to figure out a better naming convention). After picking up his latte, he walked towards them. The brunette glanced up, offering him a small smile and nodding at the seat next to her. As he sat, the blonde looked up and made eye contact with him for the first time in weeks. She nodded curtly and quickly returned to her book. Killian sighed and pulled out his own, and the three read in silence until the brunette stood to leave. Before she did, however, she gently touched Killian's and Blondie's shoulders. Both looked up, confused. Brunette iced chai latte offered each of them a small smile.
"Belle," she said, just the single word, before turning and walking out of the shop. Killian blinked, then glanced over at Blondie, who looked as confused as he felt. There were no names in the coffee shop. Why had Belle offered hers? He couldn't figure it out.
He continued to read, trying not to think about it. When 6pm rolled around, and Blondie packed away her book and stood up to leave, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, without thinking about it.
"Killian," he said quietly, not looking up at her. There was a long pause, and he realized he was holding his breath.
"Emma," he heard from above him, before she gently tugged her wrist away and walked out. He leaned back in his chair, letting out the breath he had been holding. Now he understood why Belle had offered her name earlier - she had been breaking the ice for the two of them.
Emma didn't show up the following week, but Killian dropped a napkin on Belle's table as he walked in, not waiting to see her expression at the two words written on it. Instead, he paid for his latte and sat down in the opposite corner of the room. Four hours later, he left, not sure why he felt so disappointed in the day.
He didn't see Emma again until the middle of October. Now that it was autumn, he had resumed his Friday afternoon coffee trips, and it was on a Friday that he was sitting, sipping his latte, when he heard a voice he had thought he would never heard again.
"I don't know why you're so caught up with coming here."
"You were the one who found it in the first place, Neal. I came here all summer, it's a nice place to relax," Emma's voice drifted across the room and he swivelled around in his chair, seeing Emma and her classmate. Then Neal brushed Emma's hair back and kissed her right there in the middle of the coffee shop.
Killian walked out before Emma saw him.
It was December, exam period. Killian was sitting with his latte, across the table from Belle. They had finally spoken, having run into each other in the outside world, in town, and had developed an easy friendship. They always sat together now, even when the coffee shop wasn't crowded. The door opened, and a familiar blonde walked in. Killian watched her as she walked to the counter and ordered. She seemed upset about something. Belle noticed him watching her and leaned across the table, breaking their sacred unspoken vows.
"She broke up with her boyfriend the other day. Heard it through a friend of a friend," she whispered. Killian arched an eyebrow at his friend, but didn't reply. Instead, he took one last look at Emma out of the corner of his eye before returning to his book.
He didn't know why, but somehow he felt relieved.
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